24 July 2013

Mary and the Scapular

The Blessed Virgin is a Mother who clothes us with grace and takes our supernatural life under her protection, in order to bring it to its full flowering in eternal life. She the Immaculate, full of grace from the first moment of her conception, takes our souls stained by sin, and with a maternal gesture, cleanses them in the Blood of Christ and clothes them with grace, which, together with Him, she has merited for us. We can truly say that the garment of grace was woven by the blessed hands of Mary, who day by day, moment by moment, gave herself entirely, in union with her Son, for our salvation. Legend tells us of the seamless robe which the Blessed Virgin wove for Jesus; but, for us-- and in reality-- she has done much more. She has cooperated in obtaining the garment of our eternal salvation, the wedding garment in which we shall enter the banquet hall of heaven. How she longs that this robe be imperishable! From the moment we received it, Mary has never ceased to follow us with her maternal gaze, to safeguard within us the life of grace. Each time we are converted and return to God or rise again after falling into sin-- be it great or small-- each time we increase in grace, all, everything, is effected through Mary's mediation. The scapular, the little habit, that our Lady of Mount Carmel offers us, is only the external symbol of her unceasing, maternal care: the symbol, but also the sign, the pledge of eternal salvation. "My beloved son," Mary said to St. Simon Stock, "take this scapular... whoever dies clothed in it will not suffer eternal fire." The Blessed Virgin gives the assurance of the supreme grace of final perseverance to all who wear worthily her little habit.

"Those who wear the scapular," said Pius XII, "profess to belong to Our Lady." Because we belong to Mary she takes special care of our souls. One who belongs to her cannot be lost or be touched by eternal fire. Her powerful maternal intercession gives her the right to repeat, for her children, the words of Jesus: "Holy Father... those whom thou gavest me have I kept; and none of them is lost" (Jn 17, 12). --from Divine Intimacy, by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, OCD

1 comment:

Yes we profess we belong to Our Lady ,,,as we wear her "little" garment ....What a beautiful garment we have received for OUR LADY ...the Brown Scapular is one of the most beautiful sacramentals to embrace...it is a way of life now to belong to Our Lady of Mount Carmel ...and wear her gament ...Thanks for posting this...

A Day That Will Live in Glory

Pray for the Four Cardinals: Burke, Caffarra, Meiser and Brandmuller

“You are the ones who are happy; you who remain within the Church by your Faith, who hold firmly to the foundations of the Faith which has come down to you from Apostolic Tradition. And if an execrable jealousy has tried to shake it on a number of occasions, it has not succeeded. They are the ones who have broken away from it in the present crisis. No one, ever, will prevail against your Faith, beloved Brothers. And we believe that God will give us our churches back some day."